The Greatest Gift
by PirateAngel1286
Summary: Oneshot Elizabeth decides that her son is old enough to know the truth about where his father is.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

It's my birthday so here's a one shot for the occasion. This came from a challenge from willabeth0906 where Elizabeth had to tell her son the truth about his father. Enjoy.

* * *

The day dawned bright and cheerful. Young Will Turner the third, otherwise known as Liam, was lying in bed staring at the ceiling of his room. Today was a very special day for him. He was turning seven years old. 

Every year it was the same thing. His mother would wake him up around seven o'clock. She would then tell him that he was getting so big before the two had a light breakfast together. Then he was off to school where he'd learn something new and fascinating (hopefully). When he came back home, Liam and his mother would then spend the rest of the afternoon talking about happier times and she would make him his favorite dinner before tucking him in that night.

And then she'd tell him about his father. The man who he had yet to meet. Hopefully they could meet someday though. Hopefully someday soon.

**

* * *

**The door slowly creaked open and Elizabeth walked inside trying not to make any noise. It was their son's seventh birthday and he was looking more and more like his father with every passing day. 

The boy seemed to have known she was coming; she did this every year after all.

"Good morning son. Happy Birthday." She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.

"Thanks Mum," he said. Liam sat up and gave her a hug.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"Just, well, I love you."

Elizabeth blinked back a few tears before smiling and bringing a hand to the side of his face. "How about that breakfast then. I bought us some bread and jam."

"Strawberry?" he asked excited.

"You bet," she said grinning.

Liam jumped out of bed and ran into the kitchen. He sat in his seat as Elizabeth finally entered the room and just looked at him. The boy scratched a spot on his nose and continued eating. She poured him a nice cup of tea and then one for herself before sitting.

"Liam," she said.

The boy looked up and continued to chew.

"Do you think it will be possible for you to miss a day of school today?"

Liam frowned. His mother never wanted him to miss his classes. "Why today?"

Elizabeth looked down at her tea cup and frowned slightly. "We are long overdue for a talk."

A talk? What could be so important that he had to miss school?

"But why?" he asked.

"William," she started to say.

Nothing good ever started with his mother using his full name.

"How much do you know about your father?"

"Everything you told me of course."

"Well then tell me again."

Liam now frowned and thought it over. "My father, Will Turner two, is a good man but he can't be with us because he has an important job to do. But in two years he can come back home and stay with us. For good, right?" he asked with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

"For good," she said laying a hand on top of his. She seemed unsure of how to continue at this point.

How do you explain to your young but very mature (he gets that from his father) son the exact reason why his father wasn't there for him and still won't be for two years.

"Liam," Elizabeth said standing up. "I'll be right back."

**

* * *

**Elizabeth went right to her special closet and opened the door. She removed the false back and pulled out the chest. Elizabeth kissed the tips of her fingers and placed them on top. 

"Good morning Will," she whispered. "Would you like to meet your son today?"

Ever since he had been born, Elizabeth had kept it hidden. She wanted to find a special moment to show it to Liam and let him know that his father really was out there somewhere.

She reentered the room to find her son looking out the window, watching the other children begin to walk to school, probably wishing he was with them.

He turned back to her and cocked his head to the side. "What's that?"

Elizabeth carefully placed it onto the table before thinking about the best way to explain this. "Liam, do you know what a curse is?"

Liam looked down at his plate, then up at his mother and shook his head.

"A curse is a bad enchantment that causes a change in a person. Your father is cursed."

"But you always said he was alright?" the boy asked getting very upset.

"Shhh," she said trying to relax him. Elizabeth took his hand in hers and held on. "Your father is alright. However, at the moment he is not among the living."

"Papa's dead?"

There was no beating around the bush. "Yes, your father is dead. But, he is alive as well."

"There isn't any way that a person can be both dead and alive at the same time, Mum."

"There is one. Liam, at the moment, your father is immortal."

"Immortal?"

"It means he can't die."

"I know what it means Mum. But how?"

Elizabeth sighed as she tried to come up with the best words possible to describe this to him. She opened her mouth but saw that his eyes were upon the chest. He was just staring at it, as though it were telling him something.

"I hear something," he whispered leaning closer to it.

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump_

The beating relaxed her. It reminded her of the calming words Will used to whisper while they were planning their wedding and things were getting out of control. The words suddenly came to her.

"Just a few moments after your father and I were married, he went over to help Jack on the ship The Flying Dutchman. I went over myself a few minutes later, as soon as I dispatched with the men I was fighting. While your father was having a bit of a standoff with his father, I went up against Jones. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking at the time; I wasn't thinking at that time. Your father saved me though only for at least a moment. He stabbed Jones forgetting that the man was immortal himself. Jones realized that we were in love. That's when Jack spoke up...and he had Jones' heart in his hand. The one to stab Jones' heart would be the one to kill him thereby taking his place as Captain of the Flying Dutchman. The man, or woman I suppose, who would be charged with the duty of ferrying the souls to the afterlife."

Liam nodded his head, enraptured by his mother's words. Elizabeth wiped away a few tears before continuing.

"Jack took too long however. Jones stabbed your father. It all happened so fast; time almost literally stood still for all of us. Your grandfather attacked Jones giving Jack and I a chance to prepare. He gave up immortality, if only temporary, so that your father could have a chance. Your father stabbed the heart of Davy Jones thusly replacing him as Captain of the Dutchman."

Elizabeth watched Liam's face as he took all this in.

"But that still doesn't explain the chest and this curse you mentioned."

"In order to be Captain of the Dutchman, your heart must be removed and placed into this, the Dead Man's Chest."

Liam's eyes grew wide. "This is father's heart."

"Yes; still beating and as strong as ever."

He listened to it for a few minutes before looking at her again. "Can I touch it?"

"No," she said shaking her head. "Though I might have the heart in my possession, your father holds the key. It would do no good to have both in the same place at the same time. That would make it so much easier for it to be stolen. Do you understand son?"

"I-I think so."

Elizabeth could tell that he didn't, but in truth she wasn't very sure of everything to do with this curse herself.

"Can he hear me?"

"Excuse me?" she asked getting back to the moment.

"If I talk to it, would he know about me?"

"I would like to think that on some level he does," Elizabeth said putting a hand onto her chin to think.

"Can I do this by myself?"

"Sure you can," Elizabeth said getting up and walking towards the door.

"Mum?"

She turned and he smiled. "This is the best gift you could've ever given me. Thank you."

Elizabeth smiled back and wiped away a tear. "You're welcome son."

He ran over and gave her a big hug before running back to the chest and beginning to whisper to it. "Hello Papa. I'm Liam or Will Turner III. I'm your son…"

* * *

I really hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading. 


End file.
